MARGARET "MAGGIE" THATCHER BRITAIN's IRON LADY SUCCUMBS TO A STROKE @ 87.............

Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the octogenarian former Conservative Party Prime Minister of Great Britain from May 1979 - November 1990; the first and only woman to ever lead the British Government from 10 Downing Street, died Monday from a stroke.  She was 87 years old.  The daughter of a grocer, her slow and unlikely rise through the ranks of the Tory Party, to a surprising election as Conservative Party Leader in 1975, at a time of when the United Kingdom was troubled by internal economic and social strife, causing its decline in influence, the indominable Margaret rose to power, winning election as Prime Minister the first time in May 1979.  Loved by her faithful followers yet loathed by her political opponents, Thather's strong rule made her the longest serving British Prime Minister of the 20th Century, while also be the most polarizing of political and governmental leaders.  Her austere fiscal conservatism and drastic cuts to state spending, known as, 'Thatcherism' pronouncedly divided Britons striking the less well off and working class, while benefitting the affluent and came to light nearly a decade before her election as Prime Minister, when as Education Minister in the Government of Edward Heath, she made fierce cuts to the Student Milk Program.  Her resoluteness in successfully fighting the Falkland Islands War against Argentina in 1982; and in pronouncing Mikael Gorbachev a Soviet Leader she and we can work with, as the first Western Leader to meet with him; as well as her all but inseperable friendship / partnership with U.S. Presidfent Ronald Reagan, as "political soulmates", in the 1980's; strengthened her and the success of the eleven and a half year, hat trick, three election victories, governance of Great Britain as Prime Minister.  But in addition to her controversial, polarizing, Thatcherism economic policies, her  intractable, non negotiable, approach to relations with the Irish Republican Army,  (I.R.A.) whom she declared to be terrorists, a mutual emnity that led to the I.R.A. targeted bombing of her hotel in Brighton at the 1984 Conservative Party Conference; in which she and her husband were not injired, exacerbated and delayed the cause for peace and justice between historically, culturally, and economically, divided Catholics and Protestants in the North of Ireland and postponed the removal of British troops from the artificial borders of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, until nearly seven years after her forced retirement from 10 Downing Street, by her very own Tories.  Although undeniably a transformational leader of lasting influence; she was also a stultifying polarizer of adverse impact that will not be forgotten.  Popular as a memoirs author and speaker on the lecture circuit, of which she wrote and gave many for over a decade after being deposed, the final decade of her life has seen her lapse into dementia and suffer multiple strokes, including the one that ended her life yesterday.  News today is that she will be given a Ceremonial, not State Funeral at her own request and that Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip will attend Baroness Thatcher's Funeral in St. Paul's Cathedral.  It will be only the second funeral of the eight deceased Prime Minister of the Queen's sixty one year reign to date.  Winston Church's Funeral in 1965 being the other one.   I will blog further on Prime Minister Thatcher's Funeral as the events take place.............Fr.  Troy